Poe’s first EO: FOI in all government offices

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Sen. Grace Poe has again vowed to require all government offices to observe freedom of information (FOI) in her first executive order if elected to office.

Poe, an independent presidential candidate, said the FOI is a safeguard against corruption as she cited a nutrition program for children as among those that will become the centerpiece of her administration.

She stressed that the country should invest more on its children if it intends to make its young populace as competitive and empowered as their counterparts in more advanced countries.

“If we want our population to be competitive and empowered, then our children must be well nourished. It is a priority for me (because) this is something we need to push while eradicating corruption,” Poe stressed.

A free lunch for every schoolchild, Poe said, will be among her government’s main programs.

“There is a direct proportion on the performance of children and nutrition. The government needs to invest in our children. This is something we need to push while eradicating corruption,” the senator added.

To ensure that all her programs, including the meals for schoolchildren, are free of corruption, Poe stressed that she would need a transparent government, something that could be insured only if the FOI is put in place.

Meanwhile, the tandem of Poe and Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero expressed belief that President Aquino’s active participation on the campaign of Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer Mar Roxas is one of the reasons why a huge number of Filipinos sense that there will be cheating in the coming elections.               

While Escudero has no doubts that President Aquino will not allow cheating, it is possible that people are having that kind of perception because he is endorsing his candidates and actively helping in the campaign.

A survey conducted by Pulse Asia from Jan. 24-28, 2016 showed that 39 percent of 1,800 respondents believe there will be cheating while less than half of those polled expect it to be clean.

“Maybe the perception of the voters is coming from the president’s endorsing his candidates and campaigning for them instead of just focusing in making sure that the election will be fair and clean,” Escudero said during the press conference of Partido Galing at Puso.